Poaching (cooking)

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Diego Velázquez: Old woman poaching eggs, c. 1618

Poaching is the process of gently simmering food in liquid, generally water, stock or wine.

Poaching is particularly suitable for fragile food, such as eggs, poultry, fish and fruit, which might easily fall apart or dry out. For this reason, it is important to keep the heat low and to keep the poaching time to a bare minimum, which will also preserve the flavour of the food.

The poaching liquid is called court bouillon and a classical court bouillon consists of: an acid (wine, lemon juice) aromatic (bouquet garni), poaching liquid, and mire poix. The liquid should be around 160-185°F (70-85°C), and always remember that to serve chicken safely it has to have reached a temperature of 165°F (74°C) in the core.

Poached eggs are generally cooked in water, fish in white wine, poultry in stock and fruit in red wine.